[Organising an investigation site: a national training reference document]. / Organiser un site investigateur : un référentiel national de formation pédagogique.

OBJECTIVE: Several surveys have shown a declining performance of French investigators in conducting clinical trials. This is partly due to insufficient and heterogeneous investigator training and site organisation. A multidisciplinary group was set up to propose solutions. We describe the tools developed to improve study site organisation. RESULTS: This working group was made up of clinical research experts from academia, industry, drug regulatory authorities, general practice, and consulting. Methods and tools were developed to improve site organisation. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed tools mainly focus on increasing investigators' awareness of their responsibilities, their research environment, the importance of a thorough feasibility analysis, and the implementation of active patient recruitment strategies. These tools should be able to improve site organisation and performances in conducting clinical trials.